Harry Potter?.......( Is it bad?)

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Lee1 said:
How do we best raise saints?
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That is the most important question.
Lee1 said:
What we see, hear and otherwise experience has deep effects on our thoughts and behaviour and it is important to exercise prudence in what we mentally digest.
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So very true. The stock argument that “oh kids know perfectly well it isn’t real” is a huge deception. Of course kids know this; they’re not stupid. But to think that exposure to what is obviously fantastical does not affect one’s perception of what is real, is a huge mistake. In fact, tor better or for worse, humans are very strongly shaped by fantasy and imagination, either their own or others’.
 
twf said:
I think the author knows her intent better than you
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I’m really not trying to be disagreeable today but…

Authors may know their intent but they aren’t the best at judging the actual effects of their work, because they can’t be truly objective.
 
Okay. Which one of you just called into Relevant Radio because a woman was just asking Father Stuart Swetland about this.
 
Scripture is quoted. The essence of the Gospel is communicated in allegorical form. I’ve used Harry Potter to evangelize.
 
How about tv murder mysteries, or the film IT?

(Did they all want wands afterwards?)
 
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OMG my family is obbsessed w/ MURDER mysterys !!! they will watch for dayz
 
J K Rowling is - thee world’s - most richest authors.
Ever.
The Harry Potter brand - has netted 15 billion dollars.

In one year she made 95 million dollars…

Just saying…
 
twf said:
Scripture is quoted. The essence of the Gospel is communicated in allegorical form. I’ve used Harry Potter to evangelize.
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@twf Scripture gets quoted in Quentin Tarantino’s movies. Would you call those Christian? As for gospel allegories, is HP conceived of a virgin and does he get crucified anywhere? Come on. If you want a gospel allegory, watch Narnia, especially the first part.

Also, you seem to be flying through this discussion by the seat of your pants. Did you read any of the articles that I linked above? If not, then perhaps it would suit you to take an hour or so to consider the arguments made? We all know there are obvious Christian elements in HP. But are they consistent with the overall nature of the story and characters? If not, these elements don’t prove the HP-series’ Christianity.
 
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Bottom line…I still like Harry Potter, LOTR, and Narnia. I used to be involved in the occult but as a strict Catholic Harry Potter does scare me, it’s actually good wholesome entertainment as long as we teach our children well.
 
Once it’s read it’s too late.

Does it lead to God, neutral or away from God?
 
Seagull said:
J K Rowling is - thee world’s - most richest authors.
Ever.
The Harry Potter brand - has netted 15 billion dollars.

In one year she made 95 million dollars…

Just saying…
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What’s your point?
 
A film called Lassie Is pretty neutral. Harry Potter is not neutral. It glorifies the use of magic.
 
Xanthippe_Voorhees said:
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Lee1:
All experience is potentially one of learning.
According to a neuroscientist I know there is some evidence that the hippocampus does not distinguish between real and unreal. It is possible therefore that when employing memory in our day to day lives we may err.

What we see, hear and otherwise experience has deep effects on our thoughts and behaviour and it is important to exercise prudence in what we mentally digest.

Harry Potter might appear to be harmless fun to a mature mind but that is not the market it was aimed at.

Our kids are our future. How do we best raise saints?
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So how many of the Harry Potter hating parents allow Dora or Thomas the Tank Engine or have a whole to-do about Santa/Easter Bunny/Tooth Fairy?

To be honest, I have a much harder time with the mental gymnastics required to have a preschool/early gradeschool child believe in Santa (ie NOT st. Nick but Santa) but then tell a later gradeschool child they can’t read Harry Potter because they can’t tell truth from fiction. Now, whose’s fault is that? :roll_eyes:

When I was very small 3-4 I remember having a vivid dream that my doll had to go to the hospital. I was convinced it was real. Eventually, I was corrected.

But I also grew up with Thomas, Sesame St., Winnie the Poo, Double Dare, Are You Afraid Of The Dark and eventually Narnia, LOTR, Harry Potter. I realized Santa was fake at the age of 4 in Kindergarten when the naughty rich kids got way more than all of the poor kids who were amazing people. Children suffer when their parents lie…it’s up to a parent to clarify and keep the child grounded in what is reality and what is pretend.
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Personally, I do not think there is an issue with Harry Potter once you reach a certain age.

However, I am concerned with the obsession young children have today with witches, vampires, etc. My kids have never read or watched Harry Potter (at 7 & 3, they are just too young), but the media today has a tendency to glamorize “good witches.”

When I was a kid (besides the Good Witch of the North in the Wizard of Oz), witches were always evil and scary. She was the only “good witch” I ever heard of. But today, there are a ton of “good witches” in children’s programming, and many of them even dress like the Wicked Witch of the West.

So while I don’t have an issue with Harry Potter itself, I do feel that society is quickly becoming accepting of the occult. We have far more fortune tellers in towns, far more good witches and good monsters on TV, and many more kids playing with ouija boards (with parental OK).

For example: I was standing in line for a salad once while the person making the salad was talking to the woman in front of me. She was talking about a slumber party her daughter had that past weekend, and causally talked about all the fun they had with the ouija board.

So again, while I think Harry Porter is fine in of itself, I think it subconsciously reinforces the idea to children (along with many young children’s cartoons today) that good people can engage in witchcraft.

God bless
 
It’s good to speak up.

I wouldn’t waste my time talking about these books if it wasn’t for the fact that they touch on far far deeper issues.

We talk about the attack on our Holy Church, but ignore the attacks we are subjected to daily through various media. It may be too late now, but we should never capitulate. We owe that to God.
 
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